Aging often leads to abnormally high or abnormally low concentrations of certain enzymes, hormones, vitamins, minerals or other natural elements, thereby affecting metabolism and ultimately causing disease in a host. Frequently, these diseases can be treated or prevented by simply supplementing the missing natural elements. Such diseases include, for example, cardiovascular disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease (stroke), diseases which together represent the three most common causes of death in men over the age of 65 in the United States.
A major cause of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease is elevated serum levels of the metabolite homocysteine. Elevated homocysteine levels have been shown to be an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and high levels of circulating homocysteine are believed to damage coronary arteries or make it easier for platelets to clump together and form a clot. Studies have shown that high serum homocysteine-related blood vessel damage may account for up to 20% of heart attacks, 40% of strokes and 60% of peripheral venous occlusions in the United States.
It is known that intracellular deficiencies of vitamins B12, folic acid and B6, alone or in combination, occur commonly in the elderly population and that there is a high prevalence of homocysteinemia as a syndrome of vitamin shortage in elderly subjects. Inadequate plasma concentrations of one or more of vitamins B12, folic acid and B6 are thought to contribute up to 67% of the cases of high homocysteine in the elderly. Thus, oral vitamin formulations combining vitamin B12 (cobalamin, cyanocobalamin) folic acid (folate, folacin) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine) have been used successfully in the treatment of elevated serum levels of homocysteine, as well as in lowering serum metabolite levels of homocysteine in at risk populations, such as the elderly, where homocysteine levels are not elevated but the patients are at risk for or have neuropsychiatric, vascular, renal, or hematologic diseases.
Another age-related disease that can be treated or prevented by supplementing missing natural elements is benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). BHP afflicts more than half of the men in the United States between the ages of 60 and 70 and as many as 90 percent between the ages of 70 and 90.
BHP is a benign condition that occurs when the male body begins to transform testosterone into dihydroxytestosterone (DHT) within the prostrate. This is primarily due to higher levels of the enzyme reductase which causes the conversion of testosterone to DHT which binds to prostatic receptor cells ultimately resulting in prostate enlargement. As the prostate grows larger it presses against the urethra and bladder, interfering with the normal flow of urine. Enlargement of the prostate gland can cause many uncomfortable symptoms including a need to urinate often, a weak or interrupted urinary stream, a feeling that you cannot empty your bladder completely, a feeling of delay or hesitation when you start to urinate, a feeling that you must urinate right away and continuing pain in the lower back, pelvis or upper thighs. Because these symptoms can cause great discomfort, BHP is typically detected early on, and men suffering from of BHP often seek treatment of the disease.
In some cases the transformation of testosterone to DHT is believed to cause prostate cancer. In the United States, prostate cancer is the most common male cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. Prostate cancer has an incidence of approximately one case in every 10 men. Almost half of all men under 70 years old have at least microscopic prostate tumors. By age 80 to 90, seventy to ninety percent of men also portray such signs. Unlike BHP, early detection and treatment of prostate cancer is hindered since prostate cancer lacks symptoms in men with localized tumors.
The use of plants and herbs for treating prostate disease has been growing steadily in most countries. In the United States their use has also markedly increased. They are readily available as nonprescription dietary supplements and are often recommended in natural health food stores or books for self treatment of BPH symptoms. A recent survey demonstrated that one third of men choosing nonsurgical therapy for BHP utilize herbal preparations alone or in combination with prescription medications. There are about 30 phytotherapeutic compounds available for the treatment of BPH including, for example, saw palmetto, stinging nettle, pumpkin seed, Pygeum africanum (Pygeum) and Echinacea. 
The most widely used of the plant pharmaceuticals is the extract of the American saw palmetto or dwarf palm plant, Serenoa repens. Saw palmetto contains fatty acids (lauric, myristic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic), phytosterols (beta-sitosterol and its glucosides, stigmasterol and campesterol) and high molecular weight fatty alcohols (docosanol, hexacosanol, octacosanol and triacontanol). While the exact mechanism by which saw palmetto works is unknown, proposed mechanisms of action include alteration in cholesterol metabolism, antiestrogenic and antiadrogenic effects, anti-inflammatory effects and a decrease in available sex horomone-binding globulin (SHB). SHBG is a plasma glycoprotein that binds to circulating plasma steroids (i.e., testosterone, DHT and estradiol), thus regulating plasma levels of free steroids. Saw palmetto is also associated with prostatic epithelial contraction, improved urinary flow, reduced residual bladder urine volume, increased ease in commencing urination, decreased frequency of urination and decreased need to empty the bladder at night.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has been used in the herbal treatment of BPH and prostate cancer. Stinging nettle produces a lectin that to binds to SHBG thereby preventing SHBG from binding to its receptors on various sex glands, including the prostate and testes. In the absence of the SHBG ligand, hormone up-take is prevented by glandular cells thereby effectively reducing plasma levels of testosterone.
Pygeum works as an anti-inflammatory agent and improves urinary symptoms. Pygeum contains three groups of active lipid-soluble substances: phystosterols, pentacyclic triterpenoids and ferulic esters of fatty acid alcohols. Phytosterols, particularly, beta-isoterols have been shown to reduce elevated levels of prostaglandins in those suffering from BPH. The triterpenoids are effective anti-edema agents, and the ferulic esters of fatty acid alcohols help to inhibit the absorption and metabolism of cholesterol.
Pumpkin seeds exhibit an anti-prostatic effect resulting from the sterols and fatty acids, such as palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids, contained in the oil fraction of the seeds. The oil fraction of pumpkin seed has also been shown to inhibit 5 alpha-reductase and the binding of DHT to androgen receptors. Tocopherol present in pumpkin seed oil may also regulate the tone of bladder smooth muscle.
In addition to herbs and plants, vitamins and micronutrient, alone and in combination with herbs and plants, have been shown to be a beneficial means for minimizing suffering related to BHP and prostate cancer patients. For example, studies suggest that vitamin E can inhibit the growth of certain human cancer cell lines, including prostate. Vitamin E has also been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of normal smooth muscle cells. Epidemiological and clinical studies have provided some evidence of an inverse relationship between vitamin E and overall cancer morbidity and mortality.
Vitamin E functions as the major lipid soluble antioxidant in cell membranes; it is a chain-breaking, free radical scavenger and inhibits lipid peroxidation specifically, biological activity relevant to carcinogen-induced DNA. It is an immune stimulant that lowers cholesterol, raises good cholesterol (i.e., HDL), protects the nervous system and protects against cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin E is actually a general name for a family of compounds called “tocopherols” and “tocotrienols.” There are four tocopherols: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. The most active form of vitamin E is alpha-tocopherol. Alpha-tocopheryl succinate has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of human prostatic tumor cells with defective cell cycle-differentiation pathways and dl-alpha tocopherol to induce apoptosis in prostate cells. Alpha tocopherol protects against free radical damage, which has been implicated in aging and cancer initiation.
Recent research suggests that vitamin E, in combination with selenium, prevents prostate cancer. Selenium is a natural vascular stimulant and immunity booster. Selenium has often been included in studies of the relationships of antioxidant micronutrients with cancer, primarily because it is a component of glutathione peroxidase, which has antioxidant activity. Selenium is an essential constituent of at least four extracellular and cellular glutathione peroxidases, three thyroidal and extrathyroidal iodothyronine 5 deiodinases, thioredoxin reductase and other selenoproteins. Selenium inhibits tumorigenesis in a variety of experimental models, and selenium inhibits the growth of human prostate carcinoma cells in vitro. Oral selenium is selectively taken up by the prostate in humans. Studies show that when the element selenium is administered to men they have 44–66% fewer prostate cancers versus those that do not get selenium. Studies further show a stronger protective association with selenium in the presence of high gamma tocopherol concentrations.
Lycopene is the red-pigmented carotenoid that gives tomatoes their color. It includes a long chain of conjugated double bonds that give lycopene its ability to neutralize free radicals. Lycopene has been shown to inhibit proliferation in various cancer cell lines, and epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between dietary intake of lycopene and prostate cancer risk. The mechanism by which lycopene reduces prostate cancer risk is unclear; however, possible mechanisms include inhibition of growth and induction of differentiation in prostate cancer cells.
Zinc is known to prevent of prostate cancer and improve the prostatic immune system. Zinc has also been shown to have an inverse relationship with 5 alpha-reductase activity in human prostatic tissue. Vitamin B6, along with zinc has been associated with a reduced risk of prostatic cancer.